Table 1.
Baseline characteristics by quintile of admission systolic blood pressure in patients presenting with ischaemic stroke*
| Variable | Overall (N = 309 611) | SBP 50–133 (N = 62 737) | SBP 134–149 (N = 64 865) | SBP 150–163 (N = 60 872) | SBP 164–183 (N = 60 871) | SBP 184–250 (N = 60 266) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||||
| Age | 74 (62–84) | 73 (59–83) | 74 (61–83) | 75 (63–84) | 76 (64–84) | 75 (63–84) |
| Female | 52.2 | 50.9 | 49.9 | 50.5 | 52.3 | 57.9 |
| Race | ||||||
| White | 73.2 | 73.5 | 74.4 | 74.5 | 73.7 | 69.9 |
| Black | 14.5 | 14.2 | 13.3 | 13.4 | 14.3 | 17.7 |
| Hispanic | 6.6 | 6.7 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.4 | 6.7 |
| Asian | 2.4 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Presentation | ||||||
| On-hour arrival (M-F 7a-6p) | 51.7 | 53.3 | 52.7 | 51.3 | 50.9 | 50.0 |
| Arrival mode EMS | 72.8 | 75.4 | 72.9 | 72.5 | 72.3 | 70.7 |
| NIH stroke scale | 5 (2–13) | 6 (2–14) | 6 (2–13) | 5 (2–13) | 5 (2–12) | 5 (2–12) |
| Labs | ||||||
| Serum creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.0 (0.8–1.3) | 1.0 (0.8–1.4) | 1.0 (0.8–1.3) | 1.0 (0.8–1.3) | 1.0 (0.8–1.3) | 1.0 (0.8–1.3) |
| LDL (mg/dL) | 94 (71–121) | 86 (66–112) | 91 (69–116) | 93 (71–120) | 96 (73–123) | 103 (78–131) |
| Medical history | ||||||
| Atrial fib/flutter | 22.7 | 24.6 | 23.9 | 23.4 | 22.4 | 19.0 |
| Prior stroke or TIA | 32.5 | 34.4 | 32.4 | 32.2 | 32.1 | 31.6 |
| CAD/prior MI | 27.0 | 29.5 | 27.0 | 26.9 | 26.6 | 24.9 |
| Hypertension | 76.0 | 68.3 | 71.8 | 76.1 | 79.9 | 84.6 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 29.2 | 28.1 | 27.3 | 28.5 | 29.8 | 32.8 |
| Smoker | 15.4 | 17.2 | 16.0 | 14.6 | 14.5 | 14.8 |
| Dyslipidaemia | 44.3 | 43.3 | 44.2 | 45.3 | 45.2 | 43.3 |
| CHF | 10.0 | 13.2 | 10.4 | 9.4 | 8.7 | 7.9 |
| PVD | 4.7 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.6 |
| Carotid stenosis | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.1 |
| Medications prior to admission | ||||||
| Antithrombotic | 56.1 | 57.8 | 56.9 | 57.2 | 56.4 | 52.1 |
| Antiplatelet | 47.9 | 48.6 | 47.9 | 48.8 | 48.7 | 45.5 |
| Anticoagulant | 12.3 | 14.5 | 13.4 | 12.5 | 11.5 | 9.6 |
| Antihypertensive | 71.8 | 69.6 | 70.0 | 72.1 | 74.1 | 73.5 |
| Thrombolytic therapy | 26.3 | 26.4 | 27.5 | 27.2 | 26.5 | 23.7 |
Continuous variables are medians with 25th and 75th percentiles.
CAD, coronary artery disease; CHF, congestive heart failure; EMS, emergency medical service; LDL, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; MI, myocardial infarction; PVD, peripheral vascular disease; SBP, systolic blood pressure; TIA, transient ischaemic attack.
*
P < 0.0001 for all comparisons.